The palpable excitement among those gathered on Monday
around a dark runway inside the Grand Palais in Paris to witness
how the grand couture brand would look under a new interpreter
cranked up a notch as the show began. Individual ceiling panels
shifted upwards one by one to create a cathedral ceiling,
eliciting oohs from the crowd.

PARIS (Reuters) – With one glance at the invitation to Stella McCartney’s summer fashion show, it was obvious it would be quirky, decorated as it was with clear plastic tubing shaped into the form of spectacles.

But even the near-sighted couldn’t miss the eye-popping shades of orange sherbet, canary yellow and Kermit-the-Frog green that made their way down the Paris runway on Monday in long, sporty silhouettes.

PARIS (Reuters) – Licking its wounds and rudderless since Socialist Francois Hollande ended its 17-year hold on the presidency, France’s UMP party is set to decide between moderate former prime minister Francois Fillon and Sarkozy’s youthful protegé Jean-Francois Cope as the leader to return it to power in 2017.

The two were confirmed on Tuesday as the candidates in the race to succeed Sarkozy as leader of France’s conservatives. While the solemn, bushy-browed Fillon outscores the combative Cope in popularity surveys, his rival appeals to UMP hardliners who lament Sarkozy’s fall from grace.

PARIS (Reuters) – France said as it took over the month-long rotating chair of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday it will shortly outline its plans for a new push by the body to solve a diplomatic impasse over the worsening conflict.

The French government has already said it will call by the end of this week for an urgent meeting of the United Nations’ Council, likely at ministerial level, following calls from President Francois Hollande for swift action.

PARIS (Reuters) – Pilot error, defective sensors, inadequate training and insufficient oversight combined to send an Air France passenger plane plunging into the south Atlantic in 2009 in the airline’s worst disaster, French investigators said on Thursday.

The final report on the Rio-Paris Airbus A330 crash that killed 228 people went further than expected in castigating the air safety establishment, saying France’s flag carrier was subject to less inspection than smaller rivals.

PARIS, July 5 (Reuters) – Pilot error, defective sensors,
inadequate training and insufficient oversight combined to send
an Air France passenger plane plunging into the south Atlantic
in 2009 in the airline’s worst disaster, French investigators
said on Thursday.

The final report on the Rio-Paris Airbus A330 crash that
killed 228 people went further than expected in castigating the
air safety establishment, saying France’s flag carrier was
subject to less inspection than smaller rivals.

PARIS, July 4 (Reuters) – Byzantine opulence and splendour
worthy of a sultan’s harem greeted guests at Elie Saab’s fashion
show on Wednesday, as the Lebanese designer beloved of the
Hollywood set presented a fantasy collection spun from
embroidered tulle and lace.

Saab, who is known for his red carpet creations, said he was
inspired by Constantinople for his autumn/winter 2012-2013 Haute
Couture collection, and indeed the gold, shimmer and sparkle
overflowed in the pillared Paris reception hall on the Rue
Cambon.

PARIS (Reuters) – The favorite of the ladies who lunch, Karl Lagerfeld presented a toned down, vintage-inspired collection for Chanel on Tuesday, whose grey and pink palette and classic shapes provided a refined counterpoint to the excesses of Fashion Week.

Models flitted by to a light disco soundtrack, the gossamer ruffles on their sleeves and hems quivering above the catwalk, as guests sat around wicker tables inside a gallery of the airy Grand Palais adorned with camellias.

PARIS, July 2 (Reuters) – The who’s who of the fashion world
came out to toss flowers at the feet of Christian Dior’s new
creative director on Monday, applauding the fresh and modern
approach Raf Simons has brought to the feminine extravagance of
a grand French atelier.

The Belgian couturier greeted oversized expectations for his
first Dior collection with a decidedly architectural
look that revelled in sumptuous understatement. The house has
been without a permanent designer since former star John
Galliano fell from grace over a drunken, racist tirade.

PARIS (Reuters) – The hours-long wait endured by hordes of tourists visiting the Eiffel Tower each year could become less painful if Paris presses forward with plans to move ticket counters and queuing underground, beneath the monument’s giant feet.

On Tuesday, the city council will issue a call for architects to submit bids, which it will assess before launching a project to develop the area underneath the tower to relieve crowding and add sorely needed services.

About Alexandria

"Alexandria covers general news in the busy Paris bureau, focusing on politics, courts, crime and terrorism. When not covering political crises in the French government, criminal investigations, high-profile trials or visits by foreign diplomats, she can be found writing about fashion, culture and style at Paris Fashion Week or the Cannes Film Festival. Before Paris, Alexandria wrote about the business side of the apparel industry and e-commerce in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She has been with Reuters since 2004. Earlier assignments have included the Michael Jackson molestation trial, Louisiana's BP oil spill, marijuana legalization in California and polygamy in ..."